The Last Marauders
by xxPennyweather-Muffinfacexx
Summary: Sirius is in Azkaban, Remus is in hiding and Harry is stuck with the Dursley's. Somehow, they need to be together again. A story about Sirius and Remus finding themselves, and each other, again. Also about Harry growing up. AU. WARNING: Slash. SB/RL.
1. Prologue

**A/N: A Remus/Sirius fan fiction. Dedicated to my BFFL, Annabelle. (Bella1Belle.)**

**Prologue: The Last Marauder.**

The man in the shabby robes with four day's beard growth on his chin stood in Professor Dumbledore's office, uncharacteristically angry.

Remus Lupin shook, his head, hands trembling in anger and shock. 'How could you do this?' He shouted. 'How could you let something like this happen? You're supposed to be in control!'

'I assure you, Remus,' Dumbledore said calmly. 'It was not on purpose that I neglected my duties to screen your friends properly.'

Remus took a deep shuddering breath. 'You're blaming us now, then?' He snarled, Dumbledore's hidden message as plain as day to Remus. 'Peter Pettigrew was our friend. Lily and James didn't think twice about letting him on the Fidelius Charm. It was a no-brainer!'

'Well,' Dumbledore inclined his head, long silvery beard falling over his shoulders, now hunched with an untold burden. 'Maybe you should have.' He said softly, his voice rolling over Remus like waves on the beach.

Remus steadied himself, hands curled into fists at his sides. 'Well,' he sighed. 'That's not what I wanted to yell at you for. I'll save that for another time. I have a favour to ask.'

Dumbledore smiled slightly. 'Go on, then.'

'Get Sirius out.' Remus' voice was low and intense, his eyes were upset, full of unshed tears and unspoken promises to his oldest friend, now locked up in Azkaban. 'He wont survive in there. You know he wont.'

Dumbledore shook his head regretfully, sitting in the seat behind the desk as if standing was now too much for him. 'I cant,' he told Remus.

'You have to!' Remus growled. 'It may be our fault that Peter knew where they lived, but it was Peter who betrayed us, Peter who framed Sirius, but it is _you _who's at fault for him getting away.'

'Sirius was hot headed,' Dumbledore told Remus with a heavy heart. 'He didn't have to go after Peter, he didn't have to get himself into that situation.'

'Of course he did!' Remus said exasperatedly. 'He's _Sirius. _That's who he is, hot headed and fiercely loyal to his friends, sometimes to the point of stupidity.'

Dumbledore shrugged, irritatingly worldly and wise. 'I cannot help you, Remus.'

Remus banged his fist on the desk in a fit of out of character frustration and began to pace.

'You, Remus,' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, 'are the last of…what did you call yourselves… the Marauders. It is my duty to protect you.'

Remus shook his head. 'No, if I have failed James and Lily, I must help Sirius.'

Dumbledore walked over and laid a heavy hand upon Remus' hunched shoulder. 'Go,' he said in a soft voice. 'Go and live the rest of your life. Keep yourself safe. Be your own Secret Keeper. They would want you to.'

**What do you think so far??? Review please!!!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello!! Dedicated to my BFFl, Bella1Belle!**

**Chapter One: Falling.**

A small cottage in the middle of nowhere in an unknown village in an unnamed country housed the compassionate werewolf, Remus Lupin.

He stood at the window looking out over the nondescript landscape, his mind in another place. A cold place. An unhappy place. A place he was forbidden to go. A place where his oldest friend had been imprisoned, and two of his other friends had died.

He rubbed his hand across his forehead, as if hoping to wipe away the memories, and sat at his desk in front of his typewriter. He was working on the novel, a dark novel about how love knows no boundaries, yet humans are ruled by them. It was turning out to be a very unhappy story, and Remus wondered if any publisher would choose something as dark as his own writing.

He stood, frustrated and edgy that day, or more than usual anyhow. He rose, and couldn't get his mind off Harry. How was the child doing? Was he safe? Was he being treated well?

He had never been as close to the child as Sirius had been, for Remus was worried about his condition and being near children. James and Lily had brushed it off however, carefree and unworried.

A red haired woman with a beaming smile held out the baby, the baby that had jet-black hair, just like his father.

'_Come on, Remus,' Lily urged, the baby wriggling in her outstretched arms, his face turned up towards Remus, giggly and sweet. 'How can you resist that?'_

_James boisterously clapped Remus on the back as he and Sirius returned from the kitchen, mouths full. 'Man up, Princess!' James said, his voice muffled by a bit of bread._

_Sirius aimed a kick at his shin. 'Come on, man!' He laughed. 'You aren't going to pass it on just by touching him.' Sirius tickled Harry under his chubby chin, a smile gracing his handsome face. 'Hi, Harry,' He cooed. _

_Sirius loved Harry the most, it was quite strange seeing Sirius staying in on a Saturday to hang out with the Potter's and Remus, playing with Harry until it was time for bed._

_Remus tentatively took Harry from Lily's arms and held him tightly in the cradle of his arms, muscles stiff and tense._

'_Relax,' Lily told him._

_Remus looked down at the adorable baby in his arms. Harry smiled back up at him, and Remus' face mirrored his._

_A hand on his shoulder intruded on their little moment. The warm weight of Sirius' hand settled on Remus' shoulder as Remus began to rock the child back and forth, crooning to him._

Remus shook his head, letting the memory fade, along with all the other memories of Sirius he'd decided he was never going to think about ever again.

Sirius. Sirius. The man he'd lost. Remus could remember every moment they'd ever spent together at Hogwarts, and beyond.

They sat in the two comfiest armchairs by the fire. James was at Quidditch practice and the other Gryffindor's were God-Knows-Where.

_Remus watched Sirius thoughtfully. Watched his hair gleam in the firelight, the flames and sparks reflected in his grey eyes. Those grey eyes. Grey eyes that would have looked cold and unwelcoming on anyone else but Sirius, the warmest, life loving person that he was._

_Sirius looked over at him and smiled, the silence stretched before them, a yawning abyss of comfort, proving how many years they'd spent in silence as comfortable as this one. _

'_No one's here,' Sirius remarked. His eyes were thoughtful, his mouth pursed in that way he had, when he was thinking really hard about something. It didn't happen in class much, but plenty when they were figuring out how to disgrace Snape._

_Remus nodded, not needing to say anything. Remus got up slowly, and leant over Sirius, his hands resting on either side of the armchair. Sirius looked at him, his eyes curious._

_Remus kissed him quickly on the lips, and stepped back. 'Sorry,' he said, not sounding sorry at all._

_Sirius grinned. 'Where do you think you're going?'_

_And that was the night Remus Lupin truly began to fall for Sirius Black._

Remus smiled slightly, remembering perhaps the one fight that they'd ever had.

'I don't understand,' Remus said, his voice hurt, and his eyes full of unshed tears.

'_What?' Sirius brushed him of carelessly, his voice casual, as though they hadn't spent the last three months spending every spare moment they had together._

'_You're going out with Tina, Moira and Ashley this weekend.' Remus said flatly._

'_So?' Sirius questioned. 'You're the one who didn't want everyone to know.'_

'_You're the one who didn't want anyone to know!' Remus said angrily, his voice rising and bouncing off the walls in the Room of Requirement. 'And so? I'm not going out with three other girls this Hogsmeade weekend!'_

'_Maybe we should take a break,' Sirius said, his voice neutral._

'_Why?' Remus' voice was anguished now._

'_Well,' Sirius fidgeted. 'I'm not sure if I really am … you know …'_

'_Gay?' Remus supplied in a cold hard voice. 'You're not sure if you're _gay?_'_

_Sirius blushed. 'Well, yeah.'_

_Remus clenched his fists. 'How can you not be sure? You've spent every waking moment with me for the past three months!'_

'_I know,' Sirius said awkwardly. 'I just …'_

'_What was I, Sirius?' Remus asked, his voice emotionless, as a tear rolled down his pale cheek. 'Was I just an experiment?'_

'_What? No!' Sirius shouted. 'Look, stop,' Sirius pleaded as Remus turned away. 'Just talk to me. Let's just talk about … what we have here.' _

_Remus had reached the door. His voice was mocking as he said, 'Seeing as you can't even call 'what we have here' a _relationship, _and you're not even _gay, _there is nothing to talk about.'_

_The door slammed shut with a final echo. And Sirius' head dropped, a secret tear sliding down his cheek._

Remus remembered his and Sirius' fight with a reminiscent smile. How ignorant he had been then. All had turned out right in the end, but now Sirius was in Azkaban and Remus was here.

Sirius stood outside the library, which he knew for a fact was now empty of all but Remus, all the better for his upcoming confession.

_Sirius took a deep breath, brushed his hair back and strode in, his head held high. He walked over to the table where Remus was studying, his head bent over his books in that way that Sirius loved._

_Remus looked up as he approached, a sceptical expression on his face. 'Remus,' Sirius took a shuddering breath. 'I love you.'_

_Remus was taken aback for a second, and then he schooled his face into an emotionless mask. 'I thought you weren't _gay,' _he said, with emphasis on the forbidden word. _

_When Remus and Sirius had been together, Sirius had flinched anytime anyone in his vicinity said the word gay, even if they weren't referring to him. Remus had been far more blasé about the whole thing._

'_Well,' Sirius sat down opposite him, pushing some of the books aside. 'I am.'_

'_Congratulations,' said Remus coolly, 'I'm so glad you've made up your mind.'_

'_Come on, Remus, don't be like that,' Sirius coaxed._

'_Oh, I'm sorry,' Remus said with an air of sarcasm about him. 'I didn't realise I don't have the right to be angry when my _gay boyfriend _ditches me for three other _girls!'

'I said I was sorry,' Sirius pleaded.

'_No you didn't,' Remus corrected. 'You said you loved me. Which doesn't mean too much, considering you've said that before, and then decided one day that. _You. Weren't. Gay.' _But a smile twitched at the corner of Remus' mouth, and Sirius knew he'd won._

_Sirius slipped a note into Remus' hand, stroking his palm as he did so. Sirius left quickly and quietly, and Remus opened up the scrap of parchment, written on the back of a Potions essay._

_He smiled widely as he read, "Room of Requirement. 8:00. We can talk about it. Or not."_

Remus' smile dropped from his face, for he knew those times where far behind them now. Now it was not a question of whether they loved each other. It was a question of whether their love would survive the amount of time it took for someone to catch the real murderer. _If _they ever caught the real murderer.

**How do you think it's going??? Suggestions??? Requests???**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, new policy. Ten reviews before I post the next chapter. Okay???**

**Chapter Two: The Last Marauders.**

Sirius huddled in the corner of his dank dark cell in Azkaban, arms wrapped around his thin legs that were drawn up to his chest, face buried in between one of his knees and the cold brick wall.

It was Christmas.

Sirius was "celebrating" by remembering his friends. He sat in his corner, his only reason to live one small memory that he held front and centre in his mind.

The scene by the small magical fire was a happy one. Lily and James sat next to each other on one chair; baby Harry playing at their feet. Remus sat in an armchair, Sirius at his feet, playing with Harry.

_Remus watched amused, as they toyed with a miniature set of the Hogwarts Express. Remus tapped Sirius on the shoulder, and jerked his head toward the kitchen. 'Can I talk to you for a moment?'_

_Sirius patted Harry on the head and followed Remus into the warm inviting kitchen in the Potter's house._

_Remus sighed as he turned to face Sirius, one hand resting on the bench top. 'We should tell them,' Remus said coolly, unafraid by the prospect._

'_I know,' Sirius sighed; hating how right Remus was all the time. It got tiring after awhile. 'I just …'_

_Remus looked slightly hurt, but he covered it up quickly, 'No matter. We don't have to tell them if you don't want to.'_

_Sirius rested his hand on top of Remus'. 'Hey,' He said softly. 'We'll tell them now.'_

_They walked casually out to the living room, where Lily and James waited expectantly. Even little Harry turned his face up to them, as if to listen to their big announcement. _

_Sirius reached for Remus' hand, finding it as sweaty and clammy as his own. 'Well,' Sirius began, 'we just wanted to tell you …'_

_Lily caught sight of their joined hands and leapt toward them in a flurry of red hair ad hugs. 'Oof,' Remus stepped back, but still smiled as Lily latched on to him and Sirius._

_James, not the most observant of all human beings still looked confused. 'Wait just one second,' he held up a hand, his face confused. 'What just happened?'_

_Lily rolled her eyes at her slow husband. 'Sirius and Remus are _together,' _she told him excitedly._

_James looked stunned for a moment. 'Oh. _Oh. _Congrats, man,' He shook Remus' and Sirius' hand and Lily rolled her eyes again. _

'_Men,' she sighed. 'Cannot show their emotions for anything.'_

_She pulled them all in for a hug and each young man endured it until she let go, happy tears shining in her eyes. 'Sorry,' she laughed. 'I'm just so glad you finally figured it out.'_

_Remus and Sirius grinned at that, as baby Harry clapped his hands with a gurgling laugh._

Sirius smiled slightly, though still curled up into a huddled mass in the corner of the cell. He felt guilty though, for leaving Remus all alone in the world without him.

If Sirius ever managed to get out, and he went to Remus, he knew Remus would be angry with him for getting himself locked up. He'd always tried to cure him of that impulsive, foolish streak Sirius had, and what was going after Peter the night James and Lily died? Impulsive and foolish.

But mostly he felt guilty about Harry Potter. The poor child was staying with his aunt and uncle and Remus couldn't look after him, because he wasn't the godfather, and because of his … _condition._

Sirius banged his head against the bricks beside him and groaned. He'd really bungled this one, hadn't he?

Shaking his head, he set his jaw. Somehow, he was going to get out, and find Remus and Harry. He'd bring them all together, and they'd be a family. Finally. The last marauders.

**Reviews please!!!! Ten reviews before I post the next chapter, alright???**


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